One-Shots to the Heart
by lil'hawkeye3
Summary: The unthinkable happens, and Castiel is faced with a goodbye that is impossible for him to make. A rogue gives Cas an impossible choice. (Cover image credit to @dark.fallen angel on ink361)
1. Final Moments Only Being Tears

"Dean, why?" Cas choked out as he cradled the Winchester's head in his lap. His hands hovered over the multiple wounds that leaked blood from Dean's body onto both of their clothes.

Dean smiled weakly up at the angel, his eyes already starting to lose the life that they held. "Be- because..."

"The demon couldn't have killed me, Dean!" Cas cried out in frustration, shutting his eyes in anger before immediately reopening them, not wanting to keep his eyes off of the dying man for a second. "I- I could heal you..."

Dean tried to shake his head, but only managed moving an inch before whimpering quietly. "No... need your strength more..."

A tear finally rolled down Castiel's cheek, dripping into Dean's hair and disappearing. "Dean, you don't understand. I need you most!" Another tear followed the first, and another, until he was openly sobbing, clutching desperately at the man. Dean murmured under his breath softly, doing his best to comfort the Angel even though he was the one hurt. With all the strength he could muster, he shakily raised a hand up to hover near Castiel's head, placing it gently on the side face and smearing blood on his vessel in the process. Cas didn't seem to mind; he brought his own hand up to clasp Dean's.

"Keep... S'mmy safe," Dean mumbled, his breaths becoming slower and raspier with each passing second. Cas nodded through his tears and opened his mouth to reply, but the mortal beat him to it. "Cas..." He coughed weakly, blood drinking out of the corner of his mouth. "I- I... love... you."

Cas gulped. He had always wanted to hear those words leave the elder Winchester's mouth, but not like this.

Never like this.

"I love you too, Dean. Always."

Castiel had never seen as much happiness shine in Dean's eyes ever as it did then. All of the horrors from his life of hunting vanished in that final moment of his existence on Earth as he stared into the eyes of the Angel he loved before exhaling, giving up his final breath. Cas could see his soul leave his body, but didn't follow its path as he shakingly closed Dean's eyes.

The world appeared duller, so Cas shut his eyes too. He crushed Dean's lifeless body against his chest, tipped his head back towards the heavens, and screamed. He screamed for his friend, he screamed for his comrade, he screamed for his love.

He screamed for God to take pity on him and send him to join Dean.

The world would never be colorful again.

* * *

Cas, Sam and Crowley stood solemnly together as they watched the flames from Dean's pyre flicker into the sky. None of them mentioned the tears in any of their eyes, or the ones flowing freely down Cas's face. Sam had already cried as much as he possibly could in his life, and Crowley was attempting to show he wasn't too soft.

None of them mentioned the absence of Castiel's trenchcoat either.

He had insisted on Dean wearing it when they burned him.

Crowley has placed a single flower on his chest, similar to the ones he would wear in his suit pocket.

Sam was wearing the amulet prop that the school-fangirls had gifted Dean with. He was the one who had painstakingly sprinkled salt on his brother's body, and he knew some of the salt was from his tears. He had placed a letter in one of the trenchcoat's pockets full of things he never got to say. Some part of him hoped Dean would see it wherever he ended up.

The three men stared at the flames that were consuming the body of the dead hunter.

Cas reached up, undid his tie, and tossed it into the fire before falling to his knees. Sam sank down next to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. Crowley even sat down next to them several moments later.

They watched the fire until it died, and as it died, so did their hearts.

* * *

Dean's eyes opened slowly as he wondered where he was. An alien fabric brushed against his jean-covered legs, and as he looked down to see what it was, tears began to form in his eyes.

He was wearing Castiel's trenchcoat.

A red flower was resting in his lap.

Shifting his legs, he heard a crinkle from one of the pockets. He pulled out a note from inside it, his name scrawled in Sam's messy handwriting.

It took him a moment to realize he was seated in the passenger seat of the impala. Looking over at the driver seat, the sight of a familiar tie met his eyes.

Dean began to sob.

* * *

 **A/N: So I wrote this to make my sisters and friends cry... it worked too well; I cried while writing it. Hope you felt the feels i did**


	2. Fixing the Past Shatters the Heart

**A/N: I apologize for the many tears the last chapter caused you, and honestly I can't say this one will be much better. However, due to the support I received from the last chapter, I've decided to continue this fic as a collection of one shots. Some will make you cry from sadness, others from happiness [the next chapter will be a happy one, I promise :) ]. I'll make up some of the prompts on my own, but I am completely open and accepting of requests! Just leave them in the review section or PM me and I'll get around to writing it ASAP!**

 **Rant over! Might wanna grab some tissues...**

 **I do not own Supernatural.**

* * *

"Hmm... decisions, decisions," the rogue angel said, pointing his blade alternatively between the two bloody Winchesters who were chained to the stained concrete wall by their wrists and ankles. Sam had given up struggling several minutes ago, but Dean was still yanking against the steel chains. Both boys were staring straight at the restrained Cas, whose facial expression betrayed how desperate the situation really was.

"Why are you doing this?" Cas snarled, his eyebrows furrowing angrily. The rogue threw back his head and laughed, relishing in the control he held over the three.

"Come on, _Castiel_ , I get to rid the world of a Winchester and cripple an angel and one brother simultaneously." The flaming holy oil that encircled the angel in the trenchcoat flickered ominously. The rogue stalked closer towards his heavenly sibling. "I think the better question is why wouldn't I do this?" His attention turned back to the hunters, as they both had finally stopped fighting their bonds, and excitedly clapped his hands together. "Okay! So Cas, we are gonna have a bit of fun. I am going to count to three," he pointed at himself dramatically, "and you are going to choose which one of them lives."

Cas and Sam's eyes widened horrifically, while Dean shut his and grimaced.

"Don't do it, Cas!" he muttered, unaware that his friend could hear him.

Cas was petrified as the countdown began.

"1..."

His bright blue eyes hopelessly looked between the two, unable to make such an impossible choice.

"2..."

Sam drew both his and Dean's attention. "You love him! Choose me!" he cried in his deep baritone voice, eyes begging with the brunette to keep Dean alive.

Castiel swallowed thickly and looked down at his feet, not wanting to see the consequences of what he was about to say.

"3!"

"Sam." He whispered.

The unmistakeable sound of a blade screaming through the air followed by a dull thud and gurgled gasp preceded a broken cry from Dean as he stared at his brother's lifeless body.

The rogue angel chuckled darkly before extinguishing Castiel's cage with water from a flask in his pocket and disappearing. Cas was left alone with the heartbroken screams of a lonely brother.

It took him several moments to move. Castiel trudged over to Dean and cut through his bonds with an abandoned axe that lay several meters away. The man wrenched the weapon from Cas's grip and cut down his brother, dropping the axe and just barely catching him before sinking to his knees. The blonde sobbed as he held Sam's limp form, cradling him against his chest and rocking back and forth as he once did for baby Sammy when they were young. He looked up once Cas placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You should've chosen me."

Cas shook his head. "But Sam-"

Dean's eyes hardened. "If Sam wasn't lying... if you really love me, you would've chosen me instead." He looked down devastatedly at Sam and gently brushed some of his hair out of his face. "Sammy was my everything."

Castiel was at a loss for words. He was shattered inside, but imagined Dean felt infinite times worse. He silently swore to his father that he would fix this, even if it killed him.

* * *

"1..."

Here he was again. He knew he shouldn't have gone back in time.

But he couldn't stand seeing Dean so lifeless without Sam. He was going to honor the wishes of the only being he ever loved.

"2..."

Sam's shout seemed worlds away. "You love him! Choose me!"

But Castiel wouldn't look away from Dean's clear gaze. This time, Cas saw the final request flicker across the bright eyes of the elder Winchester. He nodded, even though it killed him inside. Dean's face ever so slightly relaxed.

"3."

"...Dean," the angel choked out.

Every bit of him died inside as the knife screamed through the air once again before planting itself in Dean Winchester's chest. He saw the light leave his love's eyes. He faintly heard Sam's screams for his brother, and didn't notice as the rogue freed him and vanished. He robotically walked over to where the ace still lay and cut Sam down, avoiding his broken gaze, before moving to Dean and freeing his body.

Cas slowly lowered Dean with his arms wrapped tightly around his bloody chest. The Winchester's head fell back limply as Sam dropped to his knees beside Castiel.

"I told you to choose me," he sobbed. "I loved him, you loved him." He gently closed Dean's eyes before clenching his fist tightly as Cas stared blankly at the dead man's face. "WHY DIDN'T YOU CHOOSE ME?!" Sam shook Castiel's shoulders angrily, reeling back in surprise as the angel of the Lord turned to glare at him, fury blazing in his eyes like never before.

"BECAUSE DEAN LOVED YOU MORE THAN ANYTHING!" he roared, immediately regretting his reaction and slumping down defeatedly. "I followed his final wish because I love him." Tears finally began to roll down his cheeks as he cried out in despair.

The sobs of the two men were steadily drowned out as rain began pounding on the roof of the abandoned warehouse as the heavens cried for the hunter.


End file.
